Taxodium distichum - Bald Cypress - 30 seeds

Taxodium distichum, commonly known as the Bald Cypress is unusual in that it is a deciduous conifer that sheds its foliage during early Autumn and this is the source of its common name.  
 
The habit of the tree is upright with spreading branches, it is large, often to 30m in height, with a wide, buttressed, tapering trunk and grows naturally in wet soils, swamps and flood prone areas.  It is native to middle United States where it is found from Illinois south, so it can take a range of climates, soils and frost.  
It is frequently found growing in water or in swampy inundated situations and in these conditions develops "Cypress knees" (distended roots).  
 
Foliage is pinnately compound, soft and light green with a feathery or plume-like appearance and generally resembling that of other conifers.  The new Spring foliage is freshly attractive and the Autumn colour change is from orange to red as the leaflets drop away. 
 
Bark is light brown, furrowed, and scaly, twigs near the end of the shoots persist, while those on the lower part of the stem are deciduous and fall with the leaves.  
 
Flowers are monoecious - male catkins are at least 5cm long and quite conspicuous during the Winter months and fruit is a golf ball sized cone that matures in the Autumn.
 
Best grown in full sun to partial shade in rich moist soils, it will take drier conditions and has some drought tolerance, although coming as it does from cooler wetter conditions in the northern hemisphere this should not be exaggerated for Australian conditions.  It is frost resistant in Australian conditions.
 
Bald Cypress can make an attractive ornamental feature or specimen and is used in some parts the US as a street tree.  It is in limited cultivation for its timber, primarily because of its excellent decay resistance.  
It makes an excellent and popular Bonsai subject. 
 
30 premium quality seeds shipped on receipt of cleared funds.